What should a Not for Profit website cost?

Is it time for your Not for Profits to start thinking about getting a new website?

If so, are you trying to figure out how much you should budget for this project? Will you set aside $2,000? $5,000? $7,500 More? Trying to get some clarity on an accurate price can be tricky. This guide should help.

In general, the cost of a website can range from a few
hundred dollars for a simple website built with a DIY website builder, to
hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for large, customised sites that are technically
complex.

But it’s most likely that for your Not for Profit
website you won’t want the simple DIY website that could present you with major
complications further down the track so you’re likely to spend between $3,000 – $6,000 building
a website, depending on your particular needs and goals.

If this seems expensive remember, your website is
often the first point of contact for prospective supporters and donors. So,
think of it as an investment. Your website is only as good as what you put into
it so knowing what you want from it will give you a clear idea of exactly what
your money will buy.

Work out what you need before you start

In other posts we’ve written about how to create content for your website and the importance of planning before creating your website…check these articles out for more information.

Because
the budget is tied to the type of website that you need you should work out how
you want your site to look, what it should say, what functionality you need. If
you’re not clear on the answers to these questions then your likely to pay for
features you don’t need, not getting the features that you want or being
disappointed by the final look and feel of the site.

To avoid
this situation, ask yourself these questions:

Will a simple, informational website be enough for my Not
for Profit or social enterprise?

What is the look and feel I want to achieve (i.e. design
layout, colour scheme, logo, photography, graphics)?

What Content Management System am I familiar with?
WordPress, Drupal?

Does my Not for Profit have the capacity to learn a
new system? Who is currently responsible for managing the site?

Do we currently have the skill to manage the site?

What do I want to say? Will I write this content, will
somebody else in the organisation write it or will we need a copywriter

Do I require something to be custom built? What are my
specific functionality requirements

What functionality does the website need? For example
do I want to be able to change the content, have ecommerce, contact forms,
donation gateways, newsletter sign ups or a blog. Which of these are must have
and which are nice to have?

Do I have a strategy for being found (if my website is
new)?

BYO (Build Your Own)

The BYO
approach is a solution if you have a very limited budget and are interested in
just getting a web presence for your social enterprise. Referred to as a DIY
website builder this may be your best option initially until you decide that
you have enough funds to invest more into the design and development of your
site. Remember, you get what you pay for
so be aware of the possible hidden lock-in costs and contracts. Whilst a basic
plan can appear cheap, or even free, as your requirements change you may end up
paying more to access these functions.

Design your own site with WordPress

WordPress
has many features and greater flexibility than the DIY site builders. WordPress
is also the platform of choice for many large companies and charities around
the world and is used by many web design agencies. But you don’t need to be a
developer to build a site in WordPress.

If
you’ve never built a website before there is a lot to initially understand.
Including, finding a host for your website, loading your files onto the host,
configuring your site, the difference between themes, designing the look and
feel of your site. It can be stressful and time consuming but it will be
rewarding when you reach the end and publish your site onto the internet. Remember though, whilst you’re doing this you
won’t be doing much else and your Not for Profit will be paying you to learn
this new skill.

Once you
have a website finalised though you will probably be able to find someone to
help you figure out the small complex bits you can’t figure out. However, many
developers don’t like to work on other people’s creations so it might be worth
making sure that you’ve got a back up before you start.

A final
note for those looking for the silver bullet of a cheap or free website: if you
want a professional-looking website, and especially if you want it to have
custom features and functionality, you’re going to have to spend a substantial
amount of time and/or money to get a final product that you can be proud of.
Remember that you get what you pay for.

Hire a web designer

If building
your own is something that doesn’t interest you or you don’t see it being a
good investment of time or money then you can hire a web design agency.

There are plenty of agencies out there so make sure that you find one who has experience and spends the time to help understand what you need. If you do decide to hire a web design agency remember, you will get what you pay for.

Most agencies will quote based on an hourly rate multiplied by how many hours the project should take to complete. Agencies might have different per hour rates based on the services being provided. For example, coding, SEO, digital marketing strategy development may be additional services to the website design and will be added on. Make sure you know exactly what your contract is covering.

In conclusion

What your Not for Profit should pay for new website will be based on what you need. The clearer you are about your requirements the more accurate the designer or agency can be with their pricing.